It was something like five years ago that I first wrote about the OQO, I think, and after a couple of years to no-shows, it’s finally available for sale (or pre-ordering, I guess; it’s shipping next month). And while the little device is certainly slick, I think the $1,900+ purchase price is going to doom it right out of the gate. It’s not only competing with ultra-portable laptops, which can be had for around the same price with greater power and more features, but also against PDAs, which can be had for just a little more than a quarter of the price. It’s a neat product—if we get our hands on one, I’d be happy to screw around with it for a while, as I’m sure most gadget nerds would be—but I don’t think the new form factor is compelling enough to warrant a $2k purchase price.
Time will tell, I guess, but I have a feeling these will make a small niche splash, then go quietly into gadget history as another well-designed product that was before its time. Or it’ll be awesome and I’ll look like an idiot. Either way, you win.
Product Page [OQO via Handtops]
